Most people gave up on their vinyl music collection two decades ago, when compact discs all but nudged LPs off store shelves for good. If you held onto any favorites, DJ equipment maker Numark is looking to breathe new life into them with a USB-equipped turntable.

Big tech and media companies could not have foreseen this potentially disruptive hitch to their grand strategies. But consider how easily a 20-year-old Briton, Michael Rundle, tapped into the raw power of podcasting.